Playing with Jason
by Dazzling Dolphin
Summary: Set a few weeks after Superman returns. The Man of Steel pays Jason a visit during one evening and ... it ends up not the way he wanted to.


_**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who read my previous story "Is The Desk Okay?" My gratitude to everyone who reviewed and favourited it. Thank you very much. It means a lot. Here is my next one. Hope you like it._

_**Disclaimer: **I own nothing._

_**Playing with Jason:**_

Jason Lane was bored. He was in his room, sitting on his bed and was staring at the wall, while his school books and a couple of notes lay sprawled in front of him. Lois had gone out to the nearby shops and he was told to stay at home, seeing as he had homework. True, he was tired but was not allowed to do anything else before finishing his homework, with the strict orders being no TV and video games.

Jason sighed as he looked back at the maths sums he was supposed to be doing. This year, they had started learning addition and subtraction. His homework was to fill in the blanks in the textbook. Jason looked at the time. It was nearing five. He sighed as he looked back at his book. He picked up his pencil.

_Two plus two is ... four._

He scrawled the answer down. Next question: _eight plus five is...?_

'Hello, Jason,' said a familiar deep voice.

The child whipped his head around, dropping his pencil in the process, to find none other than Superman standing in his room, his red cape fluttering from the breeze through the open window.

'Superman!' he squealed excitedly and with surprising speed for a five-year old, he jumped down from the bed, skittered across the room and into the Man of Steel's welcoming arms.

Superman hugged his Jason to him, picking him up and swinging him around.

'You came!' Jason said as Superman put him down.

'When I make a promise to see you, I will,' he smiled. His piercing blue eyes rolled over to the books and notes lying on top of Jason's bed. 'Doing homework?'

Jason nodded. 'Maths,' he said, pulling a face.

'It's not that bad. Have you finished?

Jason jutted out his bottom lip. 'No. And I'm not allowed to play until I finish. Mummy's orders.'

Superman smiled slightly at Jason's cute pout. 'I'll sit beside you while you finish. Does that make you better?'

Jason's eyes lit up. 'Oh yes!'

Superman carried him back to the bed and made him sit down while he settled down next to him. With his favourite hero by his side, Jason picked up his pencil with a little energy. He looked back at the unfinished problems. Only ten more to go.

The work that would take up half an hour if he was alone, finished in fifteen minutes in the company of Superman, who didn't assist Jason in working out the sums but was watching him as he screwed his face up in concentration, calculating in his pre-super mind.

'Finished maths!' Jason said joyfully, closing the textbook.

'Anything else?' said Superman.

'I have to read this story called "The Hare and the Tortoise",' Jason replied. He picked up his English book.

'How about I narrate it to you?' Superman suggested, taking the book. 'It'll make it more understandable.'

'Oooooh, thank you!' said Jason.

So Superman narrated the story of the hare and the tortoise where the pair of them had a race. The hare being so full of pride that he boldly took a nap in the over confidence that the tortoise would never beat him. But in the end, it was the steady tortoise, who won, with the moral being _slow and steady wins the race._

'So,' said Superman, closing the book. 'Always remember, Jason, you have to be steady in certain things.'

'I will,' said Jason. 'Thank you for helping me finish my homework.'

'Always welcome,' smiled Superman.

They both stared at each other. The two sets of similar blue eyes shined as they watched the other.

'Um, you don't have to save anyone right now, do you?' asked Jason.

'No,' smiled Superman.

Jason tugged on his hand. 'Come with me downstairs. I want to show you how I play the keyboard.'

Superman adhered to the strength the five year old gave and followed him downstairs. He remembered seeing every aspect of this house when he went stalking Lois one evening. He tried hard not to remember the part when she had said "no" when Richard asked her if she was in love with him, Superman. He also remembered Jason tapping on the little keyboard.

'Sit here,' said Jason, making his unknown real father sit down on the couch. He then fetched his keyboard from the shelf and returned and sat down next to Superman.

Jason set the instrument on the table and began to play.

'This is for you,' he said sweetly. Superman watched in awe at the way his son coordinated his little fingers with the musical keys. He had never heard such sweet music all his life. And Jason said it was for him! His son was playing it for him. He could have never imagined a more perfect moment than this.

Jason ended his little song with a final long tune.

'That was wonderful, Jason,' said Superman and ruffled his hair.

'Thank you.'

'What else do you want to do? Your mother won't be back for another fifteen minutes at the minimum. I heard her having an argument with someone over the phone.'

_And I pity that poor soul, _he added mentally.

Jason's eyes glittered. 'I'll show you my favourite video game.'

'Sure.'

For Superman, moments like this were very important. It was the only key to see and know what his son liked and what he did not. Upto date, he knew a few things. He liked to draw, eat egg rolls, play the piano, admire nature and listen to stories. Jason hated snow peas. And now he came to know he loved video games too. All these were stored in his head so clearly.

Jason went over to the TV set and from a nearby shelf, pulled out a Nintendo game cube and a 'Finding Nemo' game disc. He plugged in the cube and joystick, played the disc and retreated back into the sofa.

'You like animated movies?' Superman asked.

'Yes,' said Jason.

_Fact number eight: Jason loves animated movies._

The game started off where Jason had left. It was the level where Marlin and Dory had to evade Bruce. It was in the submarine and the great white shark was chasing the frightened fish. An exclamation mark would appear on top of Marlin's head whenever Bruce is about to charge and Jason would have to control Marlin so that he and Dory can get out of the way.

'Watch out!' Jason cried as he swept the two fish out of the way. Bruce went crashing into pipes.

Superman was not interested much in the game but in Jason's cute facial expressions as he tried with all his might to get over this level. Jason's fascination, eagerness and frustration had him mesmerised.

_What a beautiful soul I have for a son, _he wondered.

Then, after a couple of minutes, Superman noticed something ... different. Something was changing in the atmosphere. He grew alert. He happened to notice a certain stream of heat building up. For a moment, he wondered if someone was in danger, but no, he didn't hear any scream.

Then he found the answer.

It was coming from the little boy seated next to him. The little boy who was hissing in frustration to get the two fish out of the shark's way. The heat was building up as he groaned in high emotions.

'Come on! _Faster! FASTER!' _squealed Jason, his thumb rocking the joystick this way and that.

'Jason,' Superman said in a warning tone.

Too late.

_BANG._

The TV set exploded and Superman covered Jason instinctively in protection. Pieces of wire and metal flew everywhere and black smoke covered the room.

_Ding. Ding._

The fire alarm went off.

The next catastrophe. Superman had no choice but to destroy the alarm with his heat vision before the fire brigade came along and found him sitting in star reporter Lois Lane's house, with her living room half-exploded and with her son cowering next to him.

Jason peeked from underneath one of Superman's protective arms.

'Oops,' he said, staring at the blown up television and game cube. He blinked several times. 'Superman, what just happened?'

'Well ... you went a little overboard, that's all,' said Superman, who was wondering how a disaster like this happened when he was present. He should have paid more attention to the TV.

'Uh oh,' said Jason in a small voice. 'Mummy's going to be very angry.'

Superman could imagine the expression on Lois' face and ... he actually felt nervous, just like dorky Clark Kent.

_Click. _

The turning of keys in the front door was heard by both of them. It was Lois.

'Oh no,' squeaked Jason. 'We're dead.'

Superman swallowed. That woman had a temper that can even blow up the whole world. And if she sees this ...

Superman didn't have time to put the television together again.

'Jason, honey,' came Lois' voice. 'I'm home! Come over –'

The petite figure of Lois Lane appeared at the threshold of the living room. She stared at Superman, underneath whom Jason was cowering. And then her eyes went over to the destroyed television and to the awfully smelling black smoke that was issuing from it.

For a second, she looked like a goldfish, opening and closing her mouth. She dropped the shopping bags she was holding.

'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?' She raged.

She gave a dangerous glare at the Man of Steel.

'You!' she snapped. 'I give you liberty to visit Jason and you end up blowing up half the house?'

'Look, Lois, it was an accident,' said Superman, standing up while Jason took cover under the safety of the red cape.

She glared again, this time advancing on him. 'You have serious problems. Just what do you think of yourself?'

'Will you please let me explain?' said Superman in his timbre voice.

'I will not!' she screamed. 'You have to repay a television set, a Nintendo game cube, a DVD set and –'

'Mummy, it was me,' said Jason in a small voice.

Lois stared at him, unable to believe it. 'What?' she gasped.

'He's getting his powers, that's all,' said Superman. 'He was playing on it and his intense emotions ... well, he lost control.'

Lois looked dumbfounded for a minute. How much more of this alienish and odd character was she going to go through? But she forgot about them for the time being. Instead –

'Jason, didn't I tell you no TV?' she said, getting very heated.

Superman saved the necessity of his son answering a raging, terribly angry Lois.

'You told him no until he finishes his homework,' he said. 'And he has.'

Lois glared at him again. It was icy and Superman felt nervous slightly.

'Alright, let's get this straight,' she said. 'Jason, upstairs. And if you come down before I tell you to, you will be in big trouble.'

Jason gulped and ran upstairs. Superman watched him go and turned back to face Lois.

'As for you,' she said, trying to come up with a good threat but she couldn't find any. Who can threaten Superman, the Man of Steel? Lois Lane, that's who.

She took in deep breaths, trying not to let her anger get out of control.

'Would you mind cleaning up this mess?' she finally said, deciding to get back at him later.

'Will do,' he smiled charmingly.

'_And,' _she said dangerously. 'You owe me a Samsung television along with a DVD set.'

Superman gave her a careful look. 'Sure.'

'Sure?' said Lois, shocked that he gave in so easily. God, this guy was too good. Any other will come up with a counter argument.

'Yes,' he said. 'I'll get it for you in a week.'

'Really?'

'If the Editor gives me my monthly payment in two days, I will,' he said, deciding to tell Lois the truth. It would be easier since he knew he would be seeing more of her and Jason now that Richard was out of the picture.

Lois narrowed her eyes in shock. 'E-Editor?'

'Perry White,' he replied.

'W-What are you s-saying?' she, _the _Lois Lane, stuttered.

Superman pulled out a pair of overlarge glasses from inside his boots, smoothed his hair and put them on.

'Hello, Lois, I am Clark Kent,' he said.

Lois fainted and fell on the floor with a loud thud.

_The End._


End file.
